I stuck a lot of flavors in here: sweet fennel, red onions, rich feta, bright parsley, and tart lemon. Letting this sit overnight Instead of dressing the whole thing like a pasta salad, I only lightly dressed the fennel and onions to add flavor and acidity, without turning the whole thing into a soggy plate overnight.

If you're bringing this to work the next day, I highly recommend heating it up. The feta becomes slightly melty, and the heat enhances the toasty flavors in the couscous. I used whole-wheat couscous because it happened to already be on my pantry shelf and think it has deeper flavor, regular old white couscous works here, too.

One of my favorite uses for leftover Israeli couscous is stir-fries. Treat it as you would fried rice, and use day- or two-old couscous that's slightly dried out, and fry it with some beef and broccoli.

About the Author: Suzanne Lehrer is a writer and recipe developer in New York and a recipe editor for Cooking Channel. When not curating her budding hot sauce collection, she puts her French Culinary Institute education to good use in kitchens all around town. On twitter and instagram @suzerbruiser

Directions

1.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix together fennel and onions with 2 tablespoons olive oil to coat, and season with salt and pepper. Roast on baking sheet, turning occasionally, until crispy on edges, about 25 minutes.

2.

Meanwhile, bring broth to a boil and maintain at a bare simmer. In separate saucepan, melt butter until foamy over medium-high heat, then add couscous and cook until toasted and fragrant, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Add hot vegetable stock and a pinch of salt, turn heat to low, and cover. Cook until couscous is puffed and liquid is absorbed, about 8 minutes, then let sit off heat, covered, 4 to 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff, transfer to bowl and fold in fennel fronds, parsley and lemon zest.